With the opening of waterway transportation in Shuixian Village, the demand for goods has increased dramatically, and some daily necessities are in short supply.
For products like laundry detergent, the demand is huge, and suppliers are basically queuing up, sometimes having to wait several days to get the goods.
This has led to a booming catering and accommodation industry in Shuixian Village, with a very obvious profit-making effect.
If the workshop under construction cannot be put into production soon, this situation of supply falling short of demand will continue.
Construction projects cannot be rushed. Based on the current progress, it is estimated that the workshop will not be fully completed until the end of the year.
The temperature is rising day by day, and summer is just around the corner.
The village headman came that day and reported to him on the construction of the new school building in the village. Although the funds for the construction of the school building had already been in place, some people still came and asked for donations.
The village head said that the funds were sufficient and that he would no longer accept donations, so these people began to donate their labor to help build the school building.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately became happy and said, "This is a good thing! This will speed up the construction process and allow the new academy to be put into use ahead of schedule."
"Yes, with the help of these people, the new academy will be completed in less than three months. Since donations are not accepted, some people have donated a large number of blue bricks."
The villagers used these blue bricks to pave the ground inside the academy, and also paved a road with blue bricks at the entrance of the academy.
"Now things are much better. Before, whenever it rained, the entire academy was muddy inside and out. But after the blue bricks were laid, the situation is different; the whole academy looks very clean."
It seems that most of the villagers in Shuixian Village are quite simple and honest, and not driven by profit.
That morning, after inspecting the construction site, Zhao Xian had just returned home when a horse-drawn carriage arrived and stopped in front of his door.
Normally, when a carriage stops at the gate, it's not because someone is coming to buy goods, but because they're visiting him. Zhao Xian stopped to see who it was.
After the carriage came to a stop, a young man stepped down. He was dressed casually, had an elegant demeanor, and exuded a strong scholarly air.
Upon looking at the man, Zhao Xian recognized him as Wang Zhibo, the newly appointed magistrate of Zhengyang County, with whom he had met once before.
Upon seeing that it was Wang Zhibo, Zhao Xian went to greet him. Wang Zhibo quickly walked a few steps to Zhao Xian and bowed.
"My name is Wang Zhibo, and I greet Marquis Zhengyang."
“Magistrate Wang, there’s no need for such formalities. When Prefect Cao came to Shuixian Village to say goodbye last time, he was going to take up a post in Shuzhou. He mentioned that Magistrate Wang would be taking over the position of Magistrate of Zhengyang County.”
"I had been planning to visit the county magistrate at the county government office recently, but due to many family matters, I was unable to make the trip. I didn't expect the magistrate to come to the village today. Please come in and let's have a chat."
Zhao Xian, as the Marquis of Zhengyang, treated him with such courtesy, which made Wang Zhibo feel flattered.
Zhao Xian is currently still living in the old house, which is somewhat incongruous with his status as a marquis. Although the interior decoration and furnishings are still acceptable, they look too shabby from the outside.
Zhao Xian was not short of money and could afford to build any kind of mansion, but he still lived in this ancestral old house, which made Wang Zhibo feel a deep respect for him.
It's best to keep this to yourself and not say it aloud. You're just a county magistrate; if you say it out loud, it would seem like you're flattering me.
After they were seated, tea was served, and the two began to chat while drinking tea.
"Magistrate Wang has been in office for more than a month. In the assessment three years ago, Zhengyang County ranked low among the five counties and one prefecture, only better than Song County."
Three years have passed, and Zhengyang County has become the strongest of the five counties, earning the appreciation of Qing'an Prefecture.
Magistrate Cao's outstanding performance earned him the trust of the provincial government, and his appointment as Prefect of Shuzhou is a testament to his abilities.
Zhengyang County is currently experiencing strong growth; Magistrate Wang must seize this opportunity and achieve outstanding results.
"What the Marquis of Zhengyang said is absolutely right. I feel a lot of pressure in taking up the post of magistrate of Zhengyang County. When Prefect Cao was in office, he governed Zhengyang County very well. Now that the provincial government has assigned me to govern Zhengyang County, I cannot let the provincial government down."
Zhao Xian nodded and said:
"As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean, so I wonder what strategies Magistrate Wang has for governing the county?"
"Since taking office, I have been here for more than a month, and in this time, I have traveled to every village and town."
More than ten days ago, I visited Narcissus Village. That time I came to investigate, so I did not disturb Marquis Zhengyang.
After such a long period of investigation, I have conducted on-site visits to all 121 villages in the nine towns of Zhengyang County to gain a comprehensive understanding of the basic situation of Zhengyang County.
Judging from the current situation, the county has already formed a clear pattern, with the northern part centered on Dawan Town and Yingkou Town, where industry, commerce and shipping are very developed.
The central region is centered around county towns, and its commerce and education are highly developed.
The southern part, centered around Dahuang Town, is the most agriculturally developed area, with 60% of the county's arable land concentrated there.
What's most exciting is that in Narcissus Village in Dawan Town, agriculture, industry, commerce, shipping, and education are all extremely prosperous.
Seeing this situation, I am very pleased and full of confidence in the future of Zhengyang County.
Zhengyang County is still a major agricultural county. The southern region accounts for only one-third of the county's area, but arable land accounts for 60% of the county's total area.
Surprisingly, this vast amount of arable land has not contributed much to Zhengyang County's overall development. My next policy focus will be on agriculture.
Wang Zhibo's words impressed Zhao Xian. It seemed that Wang Zhibo was a man of action. He had spent so much time researching the county's situation in order to better govern Zhengyang County in the future.
"It seems Magistrate Wang's first priority is to revitalize agriculture in Zhengyang County. Do you have any good ideas?"
"I have some initial ideas, and I am here today to visit Marquis Zhengyang to seek his advice on this issue."
"Magistrate Wang, please don't stand on ceremony. I'd like to hear the details."
"Does Marquis Zhengyang know about the Zheng Guo Canal?" Wang Zhibo asked.
When Wang Zhibo mentioned the Zheng Guo Canal, Zhao Xian was taken aback at first, but quickly realized what Wang Zhibo was up to.
During the Warring States period, after years of development, the Qin state had become the dominant power, and the other six states suffered greatly at its hands. The Han state, being relatively close to Qin, was particularly vulnerable and faced the constant threat of being destroyed.
In this situation, the state of Han devised a strategy to weaken Qin, sending a skilled water conservancy expert named Zheng Guo to Qin to persuade them to construct water conservancy projects.
Unexpectedly, the Qin state adopted Zheng Guo's suggestion, mobilized a large number of laborers, and raised a large amount of financial and material resources to begin the construction of the Zheng Guo Canal.
Qin was not lacking in astute individuals, who could certainly see that Han's dispatch of Zheng to help Qin build water conservancy projects was intended to exhaust Qin's resources and ultimately bankrupt it.
Surprisingly, what South Korea originally intended to "exhaust Qin" ended up "supporting Qin".
Ten years later, the Zheng Guo Canal, which stretched over 300 li, was successfully built. Four million mu of barren farmland in Qin was transformed into high-yield and stable-yield fertile land, and the Guanzhong region became Qin's granary, laying the foundation for Qin's eventual unification of the six states.
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